Reading about the decline in the actual modelling of Gn15 layouts I decided, with the blessing of Emrys, to institute a Pizza layout challenge in Gn15 to try and reverse this trend.

So how about a (rather long term) challenge for a snow covered, pizza style layout for 2013 ?

The rules would be nice and simple:- (just like me)1] Gn15 only
2] Layout to be any size and shape providing it fits within an actual pizza box base.
3] Height to be unlimited.
4] Track plan to include a continuous run.
5] Trains MUST be powered.
6] Trains MUST be revenue earning.
7] The layout must have some snow on the scenery somewhere.
8] Challenge to finish midnight on 30th November 2013 GMT.

Notes regarding the rules.1] This is the Gn15 forum.
2] The layout is to fit within the perimeter of the base of the box. The box can be any size that you wish ----small, medium, large or family ---- your choice. The layout is not allowed to taper outwards so that the top surface hangs over the base. You are not allowed to open the lid fully to make use of that space as well! The layout can be any shape providing it fits within the perimeter of the box base. At least one photo of the layout in the box is required for proof of eligibility --- No Photo Shopping please
( The largest box that I found on Google was 28" square.)
3] The height of the layout is unlimited (except by the height of your ceiling of course)
4] Although a continuous track plan is mandatory any points or crossings that you want to add are up to you. A continuous run can also include an end to end layout providing the train does not need any human intervention to actually reverse direction.
5] The power for the train can include but is not limited to electric, clockwork, steam, solar, Stirling engine, hamster in wheel, dilithium crystals or even atomic power.
The only forms of train power not allowed are 'finger-pushing' or 'string-pulling'.
(Although bribery in the form of a packet of Jaffa cakes might just make me change my mind on that !)
6] The train must either be a loco and wagon or some sort of railcar. In fact any vehicle that can carry goods or passengers to help make a profit !
7] The theme is your choice ---- I was originally going to specify that the theme was to be "Snow at Christmas" but considering we have just had two layouts with that theme on this site I thought it better to open the theme to anything providing that there was at least some snow on the scenery.
If you want to be precise there has to be at least 1" square (25mm square) area of snow on the layout.
The snow does not need to be the real thing.
8] As the closing date is 11 months away the 24 hours difference due to the dreaded time zones is such a tiny percentage of the total build time I really don't believe there will be much discussion on this subject. (Now who am I trying to convince ?)

Other notes
A backdrop is optional, although in my opinion a very worthwhile addition, although if you do include one remember that it is part of the layout and it must fit within the pizza box perimeter.
If you plan to use an external power supply (battery or mains power pack or belt to lay shaft or solar panels or atomic reactor) they can be connected to the layout with cables of any length.
Again the control panel, if used, can be external to the layout.

So get yourselves down to the local pizza shop, order ourself a nice pizza of your choice of size and flavour and start your new year with a good feed and a new year's resolution to build yourself a Gn15 layout.

Happy new year and good luck everybody and remember only 11 months to go.

I'm afraid that despite my wish for the "snowflake" to be resurrected this is too much of a challenge for me. I just cannot commit myself to something this ambitious - I can barely come good on the stuff I've already started.

I don't want to sound negative as you've obviously put some thought into this - but as the instigator of the initial challenge I must say that the original idea was to produce a small stand alone item that could be built readily within a 3 month time frame during the winter - "hence snowflake". It really was meant to be something a bit silly and I've oft wondered if it didn't "outgrow" itself causing a stillbirth as an annual event?

Andi ---- sorry to hear that you won't be accepting the challenge ---- But a layout to fit within the confines of one of the smallest pizza boxes (just over 6" square) I thought could qualify as being in the category of being a "bit silly". ---- but I can understand your reticence as I also think that I probably have too many irons in the fire at the moment as well

On behalf of the many lurkers, dabblers, fiddlers and back-seat drivers of the forum whom this is hopefully intended to poke out of inaction, a few unnecessarily picky queries (sorry!):

- can the max size of box you indicate take set-track curves, or would bend-your-own be mandatory?
- does 'revenue-earning' imply 'common-carrier' or do internal-user railways for business-like purposes eg military, hospital, agricultural, etc fall into the remit of the challenge?
- Would bribery with jaffa cakes make you change your mind about excluding people-powered prototypes as long as the model was self-powered in some way?

My old dad said 'never volunteer', but this sound like the kind of prod I need to dip a toe into the Gn15 pool. As a total novice I'm not promising anything remarkable, but even Isambard Kingdom Brunel had to start somewhere, so count me in!

can the max size of box you indicate take set-track curves, or would bend-your-own be mandatory?- does 'revenue-earning' imply 'common-carrier' or do internal-user railways for business-like purposes eg military, hospital, agricultural, etc fall into the remit of the challenge?- Would bribery with jaffa cakes make you change your mind about excluding people-powered prototypes as long as the model was self-powered in some way?

The max size of the box was for information only. It was the biggest size I could find on Google. Remember the layout has to photographed inside an actual pizza box --- so its up to your local pizza parlour.If they serve 'Humungus' pizzas you might get away with set track otherwise its back to bending your own.

I can see no reason to ban internal users ---- after all the railways were built to make the owner's life easier so increasing productivity, so making a profit.

No need for bribery ---- just as long as the train is self powered somehow all is well. The prototype is irrelevant. And if you could build a 1/24 (ish) man who actually had moving legs which propelled the train arount the layout ---- that would be fantastic.

I vaguely recall some European despot proposing a 'double-size' train in the 30's which would have run on two parallel tracks, but we are now straying into maximum gauge territory! Mind you, IKB might have built some scale models before embarking on the Great Western experiment.

Back on topic, I now have to find a way to convince She Who Must be Obeyed that a quest for a giant sized pizza box is compatible with the New Year diet resolution!

after I found a large Pizza-cardboard (large Family-pizza) I will try this challenge and so i'm in. I think the beautiful models which I bought from Franck need some place to run.

I hope I understood that anything correctly. Ther must be a circleline and the railway must show a situation that give you an impression what it's for. And last but not least there must be one square with snow.

Sorry for my really bad english but i'll try to be better and better.

Greetings from Germany.

George

PS.: If you found some mistakes in my english you can keep it as a present.

This challenge tempts me enormously but as we all, I already porjets underway, and we must make choices.
I have not resisted, I drew a small project
The four seasons pizza represented with the pizzeria "pizza-di Marco", a small loco pulling wagons loaded with sacks of flour, oil bottle olive, tomato concerve, bottles of Chianti...

Despite other projects...the temptation to do this on a budget is rather tempting...still havn't done any Gn15 modelling since I started in Gnine...and the boy is starting to get into model railways too!

Can I build the layout to fit in a supermarket pizza box or does it have to be a takeaway pizza box?

As long as the box contained a pizza at some point I can see no problems.
Welcome aboard.

I have just found my 'ideal' pizza box.
It's from Pizza Hut and as well as the pizza, it came with some cheese sticks and some chocolate sticks. (Yum, yum.)
The box itself is 9" x 18". A very nice size and shape for what I have in mind

Equally important I have now managed to find a suitable name for my layout ---- "Lodestone Island".
(This is because I have managed to find some real lodestone for authenticity.)

The baseboard is a laminate of three of those polydisks from supermarket pizza boxes. A very light baseboard with natural quiet running.

A battery pack borrowed from an SM32 loco can move this loco at a smartish pace, but my other four-wheeler barely moves. Using a battery pack will make the layout self-contained.

If I go any further with this I will set up another thread to document the construction. Plan is to have a wall down the middle with a different scene each side, so the train can travel from place to place. All the scenery will be premade bits intended for Waterley Bank Estate Farm which just didn't look right when put in place.

I have a plan for fitting sidings onto this tiny pizza - inspired by something I found on carendt.us (but cannot find now )

Oh, dear. Oh me, oh my. It's been a few years and a lot of miles since I've had the time for train fun. Still, this one looks to be simple enough for me to give it a go. Count me in , as long as there's room for whimsey in the Challenge?
Hopefully, this will give me the chance to work my way back into it all easily. Looking for ward to it!
Chris

First the Pizza box ----- 9" x 18" ----a nice size to work with I think.

And the genuine Lodestone that will give the layout its name.
Was going to call it "Magnetic Island" but that name is taken by a local island a mere two thousand kilometres or so away from me, just off the Queensland coast.
And I bet they never had snow there !

Not sure which hemisphere to set my island in ---- that will probably depend if I can can find model penguins or polar bears in a suitable scale.

I should have all the other bits ready to start work after Easter and the narrow gauge convention.

Cheers

Last edited by Adrian on Fri Jul 19, 2013 3:11 am, edited 1 time in total.